AndrewPritchard Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 (edited) I need to cut some plastic pipe down it's length, but ONLY on one side. I was thinking of using the tablesaw, and was wondering if anyone had some advice. I was thinking of setting up a second fence, parallel to my regular fence to help keep it straight as it goes into the cut. What do you all think? Edited April 20, 2018 by AndrewPritchard Clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catco Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 I would try with a second fence, but my worry would be slight rotation driving one side or the other into the blade and grabbing/melting the plastic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted April 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 1 minute ago, Catco said: I would try with a second fence, but my worry would be slight rotation driving one side or the other into the blade and grabbing/melting the plastic... I was worried about the rotation too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 I am assuming that your thoughts of using a table saw means there is no bandsaw at your disposal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted April 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 Sorry - should have said: I only need to cut ONE side of the pipe down it's length, not both sides. So a bandsaw will not do EDIT: Original question updated for clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 Why not? If you have some scrap ply, you can make a sled with a fence clamp the pipe in place and let the bandsaw do the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted April 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 10 minutes ago, RichardA said: Why not? If you have some scrap ply, you can make a sled with a fence clamp the pipe in place and let the bandsaw do the work. I don't feel confident that the bandsaw will deal with cutting 12" of pipe down it's length. I am concerned it will tip the whole pipe forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 You could make an L shaped jig and use 2 strips of double face tape to hold the pipe still. Then it shouldn't be any problem to rip just one side. Pipe might try to close the kerf. But if you cut a board that would just fit inside and orient it parallel to the table saw that would help hold the kerf open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 1 hour ago, AndrewPritchard said: I don't feel confident that the bandsaw will deal with cutting 12" of pipe down it's length. I am concerned it will tip the whole pipe forward. Agreed, that sounds like a very dangerous way to attempt that cut. If the top were to tip in even a little and be grabbed by the blade, it could easily pull you hands into the blade with it. I would say that immobilizing the pipe on some sort of sled and running it down the ts would be the best option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krtwood Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 Couple dabs of hot glue to a board, board against fence. No need to get fancy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 10 minutes ago, krtwood said: Couple dabs of hot glue to a board, board against fence. No need to get fancy. Until those dabs release mid cut, blade buried in a now unsupported cylinder which can not only kick back but also try to roll, while being cut exposing the uncut area to a whole blade tooth. I've tried cutting a 2” PVC pipe like that. It isn't pretty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 Hand saw and file or sander. On the TS the best practice is to have extra length where you can screw through the pipe into a square block. This avoids the rotation. I suppose gluing a fixture on it if it is PVC could also give rotation resistance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 The last place I'd try to cut this would be on a table saw. I cringe at all that could go wrong there. Maybe you could score a straight line down the middle of the pipe using an utility knife and then use a hacksaw to finish the cut. Sure would be safe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 The way I am reading this is he only needs to cut a single kerf in the pipe, Not cut the pipe in half. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 I've made that cut on the table saw, with no problem. We use lengths of ABS pipe, with about a 1/2" wide slot out of one side to slip over the top of exercise pen sides for puppies. The expens come with two foot long sections that fold up. Without the stiffeners, the pens get pushed all out of shape. I didn't do anything special to make the cuts-just held it steady as it went through. I did use some feather boards to keep it against the fence. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucknbob Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 It sounds like you're trying to rip a pipe in half, is that correct? If so, I wouldn't use a second fence, it may cause a kickback. I would use a featherboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 16 minutes ago, wdwerker said: The way I am reading this is he only needs to cut a single kerf in the pipe, Not cut the pipe in half. That's the way I read it too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted April 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 23 minutes ago, chucknbob said: It sounds like you're trying to rip a pipe in half, is that correct? If so, I wouldn't use a second fence, it may cause a kickback. I would use a featherboard. No, I'm not trying to cut it in half. I'm only trying to put a cut through *one* wall of the pipe, not through both walls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 4 minutes ago, AndrewPritchard said: No, I'm not trying to cut it in half. I'm only trying to put a cut through *one* wall of the pipe, not through both walls The length? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 56 minutes ago, Tom King said: I've made that cut on the table saw, with no problem. We use lengths of ABS pipe, with about a 1/2" wide slot out of one side to slip over the top of exercise pen sides for puppies. The expens come with two foot long sections that fold up. Without the stiffeners, the pens get pushed all out of shape. I didn't do anything special to make the cuts-just held it steady as it went through. I did use some feather boards to keep it against the fence. Oh yeah. I've got a few PVC x pen stabilizers for the same problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted April 20, 2018 Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 I used ABS just because it's black, as are the expens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Barron Posted April 20, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 You could use a jig saw with a short blade. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 21, 2018 Report Share Posted April 21, 2018 I would set the TS blade as low as possible to make the cut, and use a featherboard just ahead of the blade. The just push the pipe through. I'd be more worried about the pipe coming up off the blade, than rotating. If the length is short, maybe clamp it to a straight line ripping sled, aka a tapering sled set to zero degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted April 22, 2018 Report Share Posted April 22, 2018 On 4/20/2018 at 10:53 PM, wtnhighlander said: I'd be more worried about the pipe coming up off the blade, than rotating. You could add a featherboard to the fence, pushing the pipe down, too. That has a series of it's own issues too, though, but they are workable. If you have access to a 3d printer, I have a smaller featherboard that I designed specifically for vertical orientation available for download: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1855246 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH30518 Posted April 22, 2018 Report Share Posted April 22, 2018 Why not just take a board on the side of the pipe and clamp it to the PVC pipe. Put the clamp so that it grabs the inside of the PVC pipe and not across the whole pipe. That will hold the pipe so that it won't twist, and then just run it thru against the fence (board and clamps are away from the fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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